1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to data input/output method and apparatus for outputting image data inputted from, for example, an external input device or the like to an output medium such as a print paper or the like and relates to a storage medium which stores a control program for controlling the input/output apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, as a storage device for temporarily storing image data when the image data is inputted or outputted, there has been known an image data input/output apparatus having the following two kinds of storage devices: namely, a storage device which can store a large amount of data like a plurality of image data; and a storage device which can directly input image data from an image data input unit and directly output the image data to an image data output unit.
As a control method for the above image data input/output apparatus, there has been known a data input/output control method whereby the image data inputted from the image data input unit to the storage device for inputting/outputting is held in a storage device of a large capacity, when it is ready to output the image data in the image data output unit, the image data stored in the storage device of a large capacity is transferred to the storage device for inputting/outputting and outputted to the image data output unit.
In the above control method, there has been known a processing method whereby when a prediction time that is required until the preparation of the image data output in the image data output unit is completed is determined to be shorter than a time that is required for the control process, the image data is not transferred to the storage device of a large capacity but the image data inputted to the storage device for inputting/outputting from the image data input unit is directly outputted to the image data output unit.
According to the above conventional example, the image data inputted to the storage device for inputting/outputting from the image data input unit is temporarily transferred to another storage device and the image data is transferred again to the storage device for inputting/outputting when it is ready to output the image data in the image data output unit. Consequently, even in a situation requiring a high response speed in a print preparation in such a mode as to print and output the image data onto both sides of an output medium, there exists the problem that there is a possibility of performing an unnecessary process of transferring the image data in an output preparing process of the second image data.
The invention is made in consideration of the foregoing problem in the conventional technique as mentioned above and it is the first object of the invention to provide a data input/output method and apparatus which can avoid a transfer of unnecessary data in a double-sided output mode of an output medium and can reduce a time that is required from an input to an output.
The second object of the invention is to provide a storage medium which stores a control program for controlling the data input/output apparatus of the invention mentioned above.
To accomplish the first object, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a data input/output method of inputting/outputting data by a data input/output apparatus having first storage means which can store a large amount of data and second storage means which can directly input data from a data input unit and can directly output the data to a data output unit, comprising: a data storing step of storing the data inputted from the data input unit to the second storage means into the first storage means; a data output step of transferring the data stored in the first storage means to the second storage means and outputting the data to the data output unit when it is ready to output the data in the data output unit; a data discriminating step of discriminating whether the inputted data is data to be outputted to a reverse side of an output medium of the data which was outputted at the previous time or not; and a control step of controlling in such a manner that the data inputted from the data input unit to the second storage means is directly outputted to the data output unit without storing into the first storage means in the case where it is determined in the data discriminating step that the inputted data is the data to be outputted to the reverse side of the output medium of the data which was outputted at the previous time.
To accomplish the second object, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a storage medium which stores a control program for controlling a data input/output apparatus having first storage means which can store a large amount of data and second storage means which can directly input data from a data input unit and can directly output the data to a data output unit, wherein the control program comprises: a data storing module for storing the data inputted from the data input unit to the second storage means into the first storage means; a data output module for transferring the data stored in the first storage means to the second storage means and outputting the data to the data output unit when it is ready to output the data in the data output unit; a data discriminating module for discriminating whether the inputted data is data to be outputted to a reverse side of an output medium of the data which was outputted at the previous time or not; and a control module for controlling in such a manner that the data inputted from the data input unit to the second storage means is directly outputted to the data output unit without storing it into the first storage means in the case where it is determined by the data discriminating module that the inputted data is the data to be outputted to the reverse side of the output medium of the data which was outputted at the previous time.
The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.